The Declaration of, by, and for Women

We, the Women of the United States of America on behalf of all women everywhere, hereby declare that we are inviolable sovereign entities whose worth is self-evident and whose life, liberty, pursuit of happiness and self-determination are inalienable fundamental human rights

Whereas Women have been, are, and will be the basic human template, bearers and sustainers of life, the gardeners, the herbalists, the healers, the nurturers, the teachers, scientists, legislators, doctors, jurists, athletes, inventors, artists, makers of music and makers of home, the poets, the writers, the breadwinners, the builders of community and nations, the cornerstone of society and the family

Whereas the rule by patriarchy for thousands of years has resulted in our rights being abridged, our being treated as property, our bodies being assaulted and sold, the Earth, our mother, plundered and polluted by profligate greed, our peace destroyed by continual war, our communities and families broken, and our institutions corrupted

Whereas patriarchy has perpetuated male dominance by:

Systematically excluding women from the realms of power, blocking the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, working against equal representation in government, refusing to ratify the CEDAW convention, and passing discriminatory legislation despite the fact that we are 51% of the population, pay taxes, and are your mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters, and wives

Denying women economic parity by relying on women’s unpaid domestic labor, raising of children, caring for elders or loved ones who are chronically ill, denying women promotions, equal pay for equal work, working against increases in minimum wage and cost-of-living increases to Social Security

Attempting to control women’s reproduction by blocking access to sex education, family planning, birth control methods, pregnancy termination and other medical procedures, thereby restricting women’s autonomy and ability to reach full potential and even endangering women’s lives and health

Whereas the world is dangerously out-of-balance due to the abuse of power characteristic of patriarchy and empire-building, and as there will never be an end to conflict and injustice or lasting peace and harmony so long as women are mistreated and live in one form of bondage or another in societies ruled by men

We the Women hereby declare our independence from sanction or approval by a patriarchal culture or world system. We abjure and condemn all forms of domination of and violence towards women and girls everywhere. We declare our human right to live in a world free from misogyny and male supremacy that oppresses us and attempts to alienate us from our sisters in the struggle for truth, justice, fairness, equality, and peace

We unite in spirit and in action with all women and all men of conscience who join us in the struggle against the oppression of patriarchy until every woman in every nation everywhere across the globe can live in a world that is safe, harmonious, and respectful of life and nature, where women and the sacred feminine are again respected and honored as was the case in antiquity, and where we can live in peace and prosperity as many matri-focal societies have done

We hereby join in solidarity with our sisters throughout the world, across the boundaries of space and time, in acknowledging the women who came before us and who will follow us, in acceptance of all ages, colors, socioeconomic classes, national origins, ethnicities, sexual preferences, political affinities, abilities, and spiritual practices, in reclaiming our rightful place in roles of leadership in the family, the workplace, society, worship, and government

We demand gender parity in the form of fair and equal representation in government, an immediate end to the War on Women and ALL wars, and ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). We reclaim our long denied birthright to fully and freely explore and utilize our gifts, talents, intellect, spirituality, emotional sensibilities, sexuality, creativity, and power and declare this day, July 1, 2012 as our day of GLOBAL LIBERATION!

The Declaration of, by, and for Women was written by Carol A. Bouldin, LMFT, for the femGA of the Occupy National Gathering in Philadelphia, PA on Independence Day 2012.